2 sentenced in death of mentally disabled man

2 sentenced in death of disabled man - State - Kentucky.com

FRANKFORT — Two men were sentenced earlier this week in the death of a 25-year-old man with cerebral palsy who died after one of the men sat on him for more than 30 minutes.

Matthew Bortles, 21, of Soldier was sentenced Monday to eight years in prison. He had pleaded guilty in March to intentional abuse of a vulnerable adult and tampering with physical evidence.

Michael Price was a client at Community Presence, a residential home for people with mental disabilities, at the time of his death on Oct. 14, 2007. According to Attorney General Jack Conway's office, Bortles lay on Price's back for more than 30 minutes. Price stopped breathing and later died.

More indicments in Madison Manor case

Kentucky.gov: - Attorney General Conway Announces Additional Indictments in Madison Manor Abuse Case

Attorney General Jack Conway today announced the indictments of Amanda Sallee and Valerie Lamb, two former nurse’s aides at Richmond Health and Rehabilitation Complex (Madison Manor) nursing home.  Sallee, of Richmond, in Madison County, was indicted for Wanton Abuse and Neglect of an Adult under KRS 209.990 and Lamb, of Berea, in Madison County, was indicted for Reckless Abuse and Neglect of an Adult under KRS 209.990.  Both were charged in connection with the abuse and neglect of a former resident of Madison Manor in August 2008.  The indictments were returned on April 9, 2009.

Earlier this month, Jaclyn VanWinkle pled guilty and was sentenced to 12 months in the Madison County Jail for reckless abuse and neglect of an adult.  The sentence was probated for a period of two years conditioned on her good behavior and agreement to cooperate and testify in any case involving alleged criminal conduct at Madison Manor.

An investigator from the Office of the Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud and Abuse Control Division, assisted by the Richmond Police Department, arrested Sallee on April 10, 2009 on a warrant issued by the Grand Jury.  She will be arraigned May 15, 2009 at 11:30 a.m. in Madison Circuit Court and her bond is presently set at $10,000 full cash.  The Grand Jury also issued a summons for Lamb to appear in Madison District Court on April 27, 2009 at 9:00 a.m. 

Prosecutors from the Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Division are handling the prosecution of this case. The investigation at Madison Manor is ongoing.

An indictment is an allegation only.  All defendants are innocent until proven guilty.

Beshear Proclaims Volunteer Week in Kentucky

Kentucky.gov: - Beshear Proclaims Volunteer Week in Kentucky: "Gov. Steve Beshear has proclaimed April 19-25 as Volunteer Week in the commonwealth.

“Volunteerism, community service and neighbor-helping-neighbor are cornerstones of Kentucky culture, and every day, volunteers across Kentucky serve without compensation to meet vital needs that may otherwise fall through the cracks,” Beshear said.

From teaching children to read and making neighborhoods safer, to protecting vital natural resources and building affordable housing, volunteers enrich the lives of others and contribute real value to the state’s financial and social stock.